


Ned Stark's Guide for Raising Your Banshee Child

by ShamelessAndFameless



Series: October Creature Challenge! [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Banshees, Creature Fic, Fake forum post, Family Fluff, Gen, Like Mumsnet but for parents of the supernatural, Nothing but love, October Creature Challenge, Parenthood, Parenting Advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 08:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8198761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShamelessAndFameless/pseuds/ShamelessAndFameless
Summary: Posted by User: WintersComing70
My name is Ned Stark and I’m a proud father of 6 children – 5 of which are my own – and faithful husband to my wife Catelyn. Raising children can be tough but raising a supernatural child can be a struggle and many of you have shared your stories on here and now I’ll add my own.  - a fic where nothing really happens but it's really sweet -





	

**Author's Note:**

> I can't honestly say where I got the idea of Ned Stark posting on a supernatural-mumsnet but bear with me.
> 
> -
> 
> For the month of October I have decided to try my hand at [youbuggingme's October Creature Challenge! ](http://youbuggingme.tumblr.com/post/151079757579/october-creature-challenge)
> 
> The challenge is OPEN TO EVERYONE and people are encouraged to join in and try your best, no pressure to do all of them just do whatever ones you want.
> 
> DAY THREE - Banshee

_Posted by User: WintersComing70_

 

Hello everyone, I recently came across this website and noticed that a lot of concerned parents of the supernatural were asking about tips for raising their Banshee children and curious about Banshees in general.

My name is Ned Stark and I’m a proud father of 6 children – 5 of which are my own – and faithful husband to my wife Catelyn. Raising children can be tough but raising a supernatural child can be a struggle and many of you have shared your stories on here and now I’ll add my own.

First let’s clear up some information on Banshees:

  * Banshees all have Irish ancestry – even if it is distant
  * A Banshee’s powers typically manifest during childhood but they can be present at birth
  * A young Banshee cannot accidentally kill you by screaming too loud – a scream that powerful takes years to develop and a strong will
  * Banshees do have a kind of ‘death radar’ and get a sense if someone is close to death
  * Banshees deserve your love just as much as any other child



My wife Catelyn is of Irish descent but there had been no Banshees in her family for multiple generations but this all changed when my darling angel and first daughter Sansa was born. We were completely unaware that Sansa was a Banshee for the first few couple of years of her life as her powers manifested approximately late age 3.

_Side note:  Some mystics (witches, shamans etc.) offer services to detect or predict if your child is supernaturally-inclined but the accuracy and viability of this is disputed._

 

**Early Childhood**

It’s easy to realise your child is a Banshee after they simultaneously break all the windows in your house. My two oldest Robb and Jon had been rough housing together when they decided to play a game where Robb – who was always the hero - would save the princess from Jon. Robb told me later that he couldn’t have used one of his many toys to represent the princess because princesses were “always really pretty” and that is how Sansa’s favourite Barbie-doll went missing.

Now, it wasn’t the fact that Sansa had her Barbie go missing but the fact that when she walked out into the yard to look for it she saw Robb and Jon wrestling in the grass with her doll sitting in the mud.

I’ll always remember that first time; I was sitting in my study sipping on some tea with the newspaper when suddenly an unnaturally-loud scream broke out from the backyard. As mentioned before all the windows shattered but so had had the reading glasses that were sitting on my face and the fragile teacup I held in my hand. I rushed down to see what in the world had happened and I looked out into the backyard through what had previously been a window and saw Robb and Jon huddled together and Sansa standing with a dirt-covered Barbie.

I had no idea what had happened but my wife Catelyn immediately recognised her as a Banshee and called a family-friend to come talk with all of us. Petyr explained that Sansa was a Banshee and that her abilities would increase in potency and control as she grew and suggested a few things we might change about our home.

Tips for the home:

  * All windows replaced with safety glass
  * Fragile objects should be placed inside containers or cupboards that would be able to dampen the sound
  * Avoid buying easily breakable items and substitute items for sturdier one – e.g. glass cups for plastic cups
  * Storage units can be rented for a relatively cheap price for any breakables that cannot be safely kept in the house
  * Have one of the rooms in your house completely soundproofed



**Childhood**

By now a few more minor incidents had taken place where Sansa had usually been frightened or mad and she’d screamed in the heat of the moment but we weren’t prepared for anything like this. Sansa had been over at her friend Jeyne’s house when we got a call from her mother asking that we pick her up early as Sansa had upset Jeyne. We were very surprised as they were basically attached at the hip so when I picked up Sansa I asked he to tell me what had happened.

Sansa recalled the story of her day and how much fun they were having until Jeyne let Sansa hold one of her hamsters. In Sansa’s own words:

“I got this horrible, terrible feeling like something bad was about to happen and then I didn’t know why but I told Jeyne that her hamster was going to die.”

At that point I was speechless. Why did my daughter tell her best-friend that her hamster was going to die? It made no sense to me but Catelyn picked up what was going on immediately, made her a cup of tea and sent her to her room to lie down. Cat reminded me about what Petyr had told us about Banshees and how they could detect death. I was about to argue when Jeyne’s mother called again and let us know that the hamster had in fact died and Jeyne would like to talk with Sansa.

Now, we expected tears to be present after Jeyne told Sansa on the phone what had happened but after she had hung the phone up she started screaming again and nearly managed to break some of those safety-glass windows. This is where the soundproofed room came in handy as Sansa did not stop screaming and crying for about an hour. Banshees can detect death but they also mourn the passing of life by wailing and Sansa naturally slipped into this state.

The first time a Banshee does experience a death close to them it can be very challenging but like their control over their screaming they will eventually learn – with time – to control this too.

Tips for your little one’s first mourning:

  * Cups of tea
  * Lots of hugs
  * Warm blankets
  * Disney movies
  * Ice-cream



 

**Teenage years**

You may be thinking ‘wow, the teenage years must be easy then’ but you could never be so far from the truth. Anyone that has raised a child knows the woes of teenage angst, the struggle for independence and rebellion can put a lot of train on your relationship. Now, imagine all those fights you had with your teenage child and imagine that when every-time they shout at you they could break something.

_Many good mugs were sacrificed for the cause of good parenting and discipline._

Your Banshee child may now have near-perfect control over their abilities but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop themselves from using them. It is important to remember to discipline the aggressive and intentional use of their vocals but sometimes they really can’t help it. Make sure to let them know that they won’t be punished for unintentionally breaking a cup or seven.

Your teenage Banshee is also going to be experiencing the pressures of school and life so sometimes a little screaming therapy can do them some-good, just make sure it is in a location (like a soundproofed room) where it won’t disturb or destroy property. Sometimes I’d take Sansa out to an empty beach, put on some noise-cancelling ear muffs and read a book if she needed to get out of the house.

Even though it may seem at times like they might be entirely fine teenagers can have a lot going on under the surface. Teenagers often have self-esteem or confidence issues and this can affect their behaviour and lead to them being in an unhealthy state of mind. Feelings of self-loathing over their supernatural identity may surface so make sure to listen and check to see if they’re feeling okay if you suspect something may be up.

Rejection and discrimination from peers is often a part of growing up different and it is no different for the supernatural – having supportive friends or other supernatural friends can reduce the stress faced. There are often groups or societies focused on bringing together the supernatural community and youth programs could be a helpful way to get you teen socialising and happy.

Tips for your teenager:

  * Concerts and music festivals can be fun but paying for damages cause by screaming is not
  * Avoid horror movies at all cost
  * As much as they might like to test how much their abilities have grown the rest of the neighbourhood might not be so keen
  * Screaming is not an acceptable way to wake your family up in the morning



 

Over all else, remember to keep loving your child

\- Ned.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> ~family feels and parenthood intensifies~
> 
> Have a good day everyone and a spooooooky October! :)
> 
> Come say 'hi' to me on [ tumblr.](https://distractedbylife.tumblr.com/)


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